Step 1: Make lawful contact with someone. Can’t find a reason? Use your imagination! A police officer can make lawful contact with anyone for just about any reason: a burnt out license plate light, jay walking, an overgrown lawn,…get creative!
Step 2: Develop an articulable suspicion that a person is undocumented without considering skin color, ethnicity, accent or language spoken…Remember, no racial profiling allowed! This is simple really, all you have to do is observe the objective facts that lead you to believe someone shouldn’t be here… like um, you know… their shoes?... um…hmm…let me get back to you on this one.
Step 3: Ask the suspect to prove his/her legal presence in the country. Now accepting valid Arizona Drivers Licenses, valid Arizona non-operating ID license, valid tribal enrollment cards or other ID that requires proof of legal presence in the United States to obtain. (Sorry, no New Mexico State Drivers Licenses or American Express accepted.) Failure to produce ID will result in presumption of guilt and possible arrest.
Step 4: Don’t get sued. Yikes! This is the tricky bit. If you enforce SB 1070, chances are that you racially profiled someone—a violation of the constitution—and the ACLU will sue you. But, if a private citizen feels you aren’t adequately enforcing SB 1070, then they can sue you! …Perhaps it’s best to call in sick.
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Sheriff Joe T. Snackbox is a 130-year veteran of law enforcement and vice-president of the Imaginary Sheriff’s Association of America (ISAA).
